The present invention relates generally to a container for shipping and storage as well as support and upright display of a packaged product, especially a packaged food product. More particularly, the present invention relates to a container which, in a first configuration, facilitates shipping and storage of a packaged product positioned within the container and, in a second configuration, facilitates support and upright display of the packaged product for consumer purchase.
Containers, including paperboard cartons or boxes, have been used for many years to transport and store individually packaged products including, for example, packaged food products such as cereals, snack foods, dried fruit products, etc. Several individually packaged products are generally packed within a single paperboard box which is provided with a removable lid or an integral folded top which is sealed. The packaged products are generally transported within the closed or sealed box from a manufacturing facility to a place of retail sale. In order to present the packaged products for retail sale, store personnel must first remove the lid or open the sealed top, remove each individually packaged product from the box, properly position each individually packaged product on available display shelves, and finally discard the box. Thus, transporting packaged products from a manufacturing facility to a storage location and then to a display location using conventional paperboard cartons or boxes is a labor-intensive process. Furthermore, closed or sealed boxes, unless labeled or printed externally, prevent retailers from determining what is packaged therein.
Shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, is a container 1 which is currently used to transport and store several individually packaged products P. The container 1 includes a body 2 having a bottom panel 3 and two side panels 4 extending upward from opposite sides of the bottom panel 3. Openings 5 are provided in opposite sides of the body 2 and permit limited viewing of one face of the packaged products P. The container 1 also includes a removable lid 6. In order to display the packaged products P loaded within the container 1, the lid 6 must first be removed. Thereafter, each individually packaged product P must be removed from the body 2 and properly positioned in a display location. This, however, is a labor-intensive process, as previously described.
Alternatively, after the lid 6 is removed, the body 2, with the packaged products P loaded therein, can be positioned in a display location. In order to permit access to the packaged products P by a consumer, a bottom flap 7 and side flaps 8 of the body 2 must also be opened. In this state, however, the body 2, as shown in FIG. 2, appears unkempt and only permits limited viewing of one face of the packaged products P. In addition, when the bottom flap 7 and the side flaps 8 are opened, the body 2 no longer provides adequate support for the packaged products P. For example, if the packaged products P are packaged as individual bags or soft-side packages, the side flaps 8 and, especially, the bottom flap 7 no longer provide vertical or lateral support for the packaged products P. The packaged products P, therefore, can easily fall through one of the openings 5. Consequently, positioning of the body 2 in a display location, with the packaged products P loaded therein, results in a product display which is generally unappealing and unattractive to a consumer.
Accordingly, a need exists for a container which facilitates shipping and storage of a packaged product as well as support and upright display of the packaged product for consumer purchase.
One aspect of the present invention provides a container including a tray and a cover. The tray includes a bottom panel, a back panel extending upward from the bottom panel, and a front panel also extending upward from the bottom panel. The back panel extends upward beyond both the front panel and a pair of bottom side flaps each extending upward from opposite sides of the bottom panel. The cover includes a top panel and a front panel extending downward from the top panel. As such, the cover is positionable over the tray to establish a first configuration facilitating shipping and storage of the container and is removable from the tray to establish a second configuration facilitating support and upright display of a packaged product adapted to be positioned on the tray.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a packaged good article including a shipping and display container and a plurality of packaged products positioned within the shipping and display container. The shipping and display container includes a tray and a cover. The tray includes a bottom panel, a back panel extending upward from the bottom panel, and a front panel also extending upward from the bottom panel. The back panel extends upward beyond both the front panel and a pair of bottom side flaps each extending upward from opposite sides of the bottom panel. The cover includes a top panel and a front panel extending downward from the top panel. As such, the cover is positionable over the tray to establish a first configuration facilitating shipping and storage of the packaged products and is removable from the tray to establish a second configuration facilitating support and upright display of the packaged products. In one preferred embodiment, the packaged products are packaged food products, such as cereals, snack foods, dried fruit products, etc.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a blank for forming a tray of a shipping and display container. The blank includes a bottom panel, a back panel adjacent to the bottom panel, a front panel adjacent to the bottom panel opposite the back panel, and a pair of bottom side flaps each extending from opposite sides of the bottom panel. The front panel has a dimension extending perpendicular to a front edge of the bottom panel and each of the bottom side flaps have a dimension extending perpendicular to a side edge of the bottom panel. In addition, the back panel has a dimension extending perpendicular to a back edge of the bottom panel such that the dimension of the back panel is greater than both the dimension of the front panel and the dimension of the bottom side flaps.